Leather splitting method and apparatus



G. R. BAUMEISTER LEATHER SPLITTING METHOD AND APPARATUS Ian. 29, A952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed NOV. 4, 1949 Jan. 29, 1952 e. R. BAUMEISTER LEATHER SPLITTING METHOD AND APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1949 jaje? Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I r V 2,583,924

LEATHER siP i'r'rING METHOD AND APPARATUS George R. Baumeis'ter, Boston, Mass, assign'or to Lacene Manufiacturing Company, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 4, 1949, Serial No. 125,386

4 Glaims.

invention relates to an improved method and apparatus 'for splitting or skiving sheet materials such as leather blanks wherein a pair of vertically adjustable feed rolls are arranged to advance a leather blank against a rigidly held knife blade. One desirable form of the invention is exemplified by use in connection with a splitting machine such as that described in the Nichols Patent No. 1,205,104, issuedNovember 14, 1916. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited in its application to this or any other particular form-of leather skiving machine.

In the art of skivin'g or splitting leather blanks, notwithstanding the many improvements which have been made from time to time, there still remains considerable difliculty with gouging, i. e. the occurrence of too deep a knife cut in certain localized areas of an evened blank.

Various proposals have been made to overcome this difficulty involving the use of a :movable cutting element or knife which when presented to the leather blank can result in a desirable slicing action and an easier out. A principal objection to these proposals lies-in the fact that unless an extremely rigid and :hence a massive and expensive support is provided for the knife, there will be some deflection of the knife with respect to the rolls as the load or stress is applied. As much as $003 of an inch deflection is definitely undesirable. In this connection it is found that in older types of splittin machines where the knife is bolted to the bedof the machine, extreme tension on the knife bolts or for example two tons or more is necessary to keep the knife rigidly clamped to the heavy frame casting.

It is in general an object of the invention to deal with the problem indicated and to devise efllcient and accurate means of skiving leather blanks without the occurrence of gouging or other undesirable irregularities.

With this objective in mind therefore, "I have conceived of a method and means which (provides for relative movement between a splitting machine knife and a leather blank in order to provide a uniform cut or slicing action which substantially eliminates gouging. In my improved method, the knife blade is held in a stationary position and the leather blank to be skived is oscillated in a directiontransversely of the forward path of movement of the blankas it passes along the machine.

An important feature of the invention is the combination with the skiving knife of a pair of 2 vertically adjustable roll bearings and -a pair of oscillatable rolls secured in these bearings in a position to feed a lea-ther blank against the knife, "and to simultaneously "draw the blank transversely back and forth across the blade, thus developing a slicing action.

These and other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of several preferred embodiments selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view shown partly in cross section and partly in elevation, illustrating a "typical skiving machine with which the invention may be utilized;

Fig. 2 is a detail end elevational view of roll mechanism of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the roll and cam mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a modified roll mechanism 'for handling leather blanks;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of cam mechanism disclosed in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of another modification of skiving roll mechanism of the invention; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary elevational view of still another roll modification.

In the structure shown in the drawings, there has been illustrated several of the more common parts of an evening and grading machine of the type described in the Nichols patent above re- 'ferred to. These portions of the machine serve merely to conveniently illustrate one typical grading machine arrangement with which the invention maybe utilized, and include a pair of measuring rolls l0 and !2 of the usual type journaled in bearing members 14 and 16 in turn received in a frame I 8. The rolls are adjustably supported in a vertical direction by means of the usual spring elements 20. A chain and conveyor member '22 is arranged to advance a leather blank from the measuring rolls into a skiving position. "It is pointed out that themech'anism above described forms no part of the present invention and might, if desired, be eliminated or replaced by a hand feeding operation.

'In accordance with the invention, I provide two feed rolls 24 and 26, which are fixed on journals 28 and 30 in turn rotatably mounted in upper and lowerroll bearings 32 and 34-. Gears '36, 3 8 and 40 drive the rolls in the usual manner to advance 'a sheet "material such as a leather blank in a direction from right to left as viewed in Fig. 1 for example. The roll bearings 32 and 34 are supported by means of springs 2I as suggested in Fig. 3 and these bearings are free to move vertically but not laterally in ways in the frame of the machine.

However, unlike previous roll mountings, the rolls 24 and 26 together with their respective journals 2B and 30 are free to move laterally or transversely in the roll bearings 32 and 3.4. As suggested in Fig. 3, the journals may be elongated to provide for a definite amount of lateral displacement in either direction and similarly the large driving gear 40 may have a width substantially exceeding that of gear 38 so that the latter gear is free to move along gear 40 during the meshing operation.

To carry out the lateral displacement of the rolls referred to, I have provided roll oscillating means as shown at the left-hand side of the bearing members 32 and 34, as viewed in Fig. 3. A pair of cylindrical cams s2 and 44 is fixed on the journals 28 and 36 and formed with helical cam grooves 46 and 48. Extensions to and 52 of roll bearings 32 and 35'. carry stationary cam follower pins 54 and 56, arranged to project into and follow the grooves 46 and 48 of the cams 42 and 44.

In operation as the gears rotate the rolls 24 and 26, the cams 42 and 44 are in turn rotated and travel laterally of the frame in response to the action of the stationary cam followers 54 and 56. The journals and rolls are thereby caused to move relative to the bearings 32 and 34 transversely with respect to the path of forward movement of a leather blank passing through the rolls.

It is pointed out that the rolls grip the leather blank from two opposite sides and successively hold progressive portions of the blank along two coincident lines of contact so that the parts of the blank which are leaving the nip of the rolls are at all times drawn back and forth across the knife blade edge 60, against which the blank is continually being forced.

There is thus realized a combined drawing and forcing action which serves to slice the leather blank in a highly efiicient manner which is capable of substantially eliminating gouging effects. By the mechanism described, uniform slicing action may be carried out with respect to various other types of sheet materials of uneven thick nesses. I

'If desired, the oscillating or drawing speed may be varied throughout a relatively wide range of speeds although good results have been obtained at relatively slow speeds timed to movement of the rolls themselves. I may also desire to vary the means of producing the oscillating or drawing action as has been noted, for example, in the remaining figures of the drawings of which Figs. 4 and represent a roll oscillating arrangement having an eccentric cam I0 independently driven by gears I2 and I4, the latter of which is mounted on a shaft 76 occurring angularly with respect to the axis of the feed rolls l8 and 80.

The latter rolls have journals 86 and88 slidably mounted as noted above in bearings 82 and 84. Roll 80 is coupled to roll I8 by means of a pair of flanges 90 and 92 fixed at either end of roll 18 as noted in Fig. 4.

The cam rotates against a small roller 94, pinned in a slidable block 96, in turn carried in a frame portion 91, and at the opposite end of the block 96 is nested a ballbearing 98. The ad- 4 jacent extremity of journal 88 is recessed to receive the ball-bearing 98 and is resiliently held thereagainst by means of a spring member I00 secured at the opposite side of the frame between a bearing extension I02 and gear 36.

As the cam is rotated, the rolls are oscillated together in the manner already described, with the principal difference that the drive for the cam may be independently operated regardless of whether the gears are turning or not, thus providing for intermittent drawing action if desired.

' noid valve, the cam being turned by the same driving means that turns the roll. Similarly, the modification illustrated in Fig. 7 may be utilized for oscillating the rolls I24 and I26, which are coupled by a. flange I28. A reciprocating member I30 is operatively connected to the journal I32 and is driven by a crank arm I34 in turn actuated by an eccentric I36.

Various other arrangements and applications of the invention may be resorted to, in keeping with the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Having thus described my invention, what Idesire to claim and to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An improved leather skiving machine comprising a frame, a skiving knife in the frame, a pair of feed rolls arranged to advance a leather blank against the knife, independently driven means for oscillating one of the rolls in an axial direction, andmeans for operatively connecting the other roll thereto. J

2. In a leather skiving machine a frame, a knife element mounted in the frame, roll bearings 10-' cated adjacent to the knife, .a pair of rolls received in the bearings, means for rotating. the rolls, journals for the respective roll-s being slidably disposed in the bearing members, a collar elementsecured about one of the journals and extending into engagement with the roll of an adjacent journal thereby to operatively connect the rolls one to the other, a spring member mounted between one of the journals and the frame, and cam means located at an opposite end of the roll for urging said roll against the spring member.

3. A device as described in claim 1 in which the oscillating means consists of a crank mechanism.

4. A device as described in claim 1 in which the oscillating means consists of a hydraulic mechanism. 7 5

GEORGE R. BAUMEISTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of ,record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Keniston Dec. 21, 1869 Number 

